June 12 (TM) Presidential Secretariat stated that if any individual who is supposed to be in prison is not, it is up to the relevant authorities to ensure that they are taken back into custody. Following the revelation that an inmate from the A'pura Prison had been released despite his name not being included in the official list of prisoners approved for a Prez pardon on Vesak of this year, it has now come to light that over 60 more..

June 12 (TM) Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) stated that the latest increase in electricity tariffs by 15% is unjustified and would not have been possible if the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) had properly followed the concept of reasonable cost in its calculations. PUCSL yesterday granted approval for the CEB to increase electricity tariffs by 15%. ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said that they strongly oppose the decision; planning to launch public protests more..

June 12 (PMD) As part of the official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, President Anura Kumara Disanayake met with German Foreign Minister Dr. Johann Wadephul this evening (11) at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Berlin. The discussion focused on identifying new avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, the digital economy, investment and vocational training, in line with the priorities of the Sri Lankan government. more..

June 12 (FT) World Bank (WB) revealed that growth in SL is forecast to decelerate to 3.5% this year, reflecting the scarring effects of the crisis, structural impediments to growth, and heightened global economic uncertainties. SL grew by 5% in 2024 in a sign of recovery following two years of negative growth. The WB in its Global Economic Prospects publication also said Growth in SAR is expected to slow to 5.8% in 2025 as rising trade barriers weigh on exports, dampen business confidence, more..

June 12 (NW) The inauguration ceremony for EPIGS’25- Global South Integrity Summit was held yesterday at Cinnamon life hotel, Colombo under the patronage of PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. EPIGS’25 an international conference on electoral integrity hosted by Factum, an Asia-Pacific focused think tank based in Colombo in collaboration with Democracy Reporting Int'l with support from the Europe Union. Addressing the event PM emphasized that electoral integrity, information integrity, and more..

June 12 (CT) SL authorities have arrested 12 individuals as part of a major international crackdown on cybercrime, codenamed Operation Secure, coordinated by INTERPOL between January and April 2025, the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) said yesterday. The arrests followed a series of house raids carried out jointly with international cybercrime units, leading to the identification of 40 victims across SL. more..

June 12 (FT) Bar Association of SL (BASL) has written to Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake expressing its serious concern regarding recent reports of an inmate allegedly released from A'pura Prison under the guise of a Presidential Pardon, without having followed proper legal process. “As Your Excellency is aware, Article 34 of the Constitution empowers the President to grant Pardons to convicted individuals. However, this power must be exercised in a manner more..

June 12 (ST) A group of policemen from the Thoduwawa Police in Puttalam have been praised by villagers and Civil Defence Committee for rejecting bribes offered by drug trafficking suspects and instead arresting them. The policemen were treated to milk rice and sweet meats. A police patrol on duty on May 22 had noticed two people in the night in a three-wheeler parked in an isolated location. A bag of currency notes was found on them. In turn, the two men had offered more..

June 12 (Island) Chief Organiser of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) for the Jaffna District, Geethanath Cassilingam, has condemned a recent LGBTQ parade in Jaffna near Nallur Kandaswamy kovil. Cassilingam said that the parade was againt Tamil culture and religious values. Cassilingam has, in a media statement, stressed that while individuals may seek rights, they must also respect the traditions and beliefs of the Tamil community, especially in sacred places. more..

June 12 (Island) The second customised training programme for Sri Lankan civil service officers, under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), was successfully conducted from 26 May to 6 June 2025. A total of 40 Sri Lankan officers participated in the programme, which focused on strengthening public administration through digital governance and innovation. more..

June 12 (Island) Stakes are high for athletes in the youth category as SL Athletics is set to pick a team for the Asian Youth Games based on the results of the Junior National Athletics C'ship starting at Diyagama today. The sport’s governing body announced the four-day championship as the final selection ground to prepare the long list for the Asian Youth Games taking place in Bahrain in October. Athletes born in 2009 and 2010 are eligible more..

June 12 (FT) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has announced an exclusive B2B networking event titled Connect with Swiss Businesses: Explore New Partnerships, to be held on Monday, 16 June from 12 noon to 2 p.m., at the Ceylon Chamber premises. This high-level networking session will bring together top Swiss companies with Sri Lankan businesses to explore potential partnerships and investment opportunities, with a special focus on the construction and telecommunication sectors. more..

June 12 (FT) SL-Romania Business Forum, held on 26 May in Bucharest, marked a significant step forward in economic diplomacy between the two countries. Organised by Embassy of SL in Romania, in collaboration with National Chamber of Commerce of SL (NCCSL) and Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB), forum brought together over 50 Romanian business leaders and a dynamic delegation of SL entrepreneurs representing key sectors such as more..

June 12 (DN) Tharindu Ratnayake, an ambidextrous spinner skilled in both right-arm off-spin and left-arm orthodox bowling, has been selected to join the SL Test team for the upcoming series against Bangladesh, starting June 17 in Galle. In a strategic move, the SL selectors have announced an 18-member squad featuring five uncapped players and the recall of versatile bowler Akila Dananjaya. Prabath Jayasuriya, a seasoned leg-spinner more..

June 12 (ST) A list of schools which were identified as having the worst dengue mosquito breeding sites is to be made public shortly. Health Ministry Secretary Anil Jasinghe said that they had decided to name and shame the schools so it would have a social impact. The Dengue Control Unit had already compiled the list of schools and is yet to send it to the Health Ministry Secretary for approval before it is released to the media. Consultant Community Physician of National Dengue Control Unit more..

June 12 (FT) A discussion between Secretary to the Prez Nandika Sanath Kumanayake and officials of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change was held yesterday in Colombo. The purpose of the meeting was to identify the priorities of the new Govt’s agenda and to express support for its implementation. During the discussion, attention was focused on examining the programs implemented by Digital Economy Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, Export Development Board (EDB), and BOI. more..

June 12 (CT) It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Professor Mahinda Palihawadana, Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, who departed peacefully on the morning of June 8, 2025. He was the devoted husband of the late Kusuma Palihawadana and the beloved father of Privamvada, Ravi, the late Nirmala, and Ruchira. Professor Palihawadana was not only a revered academic but also a deeply reflective and more..

June 12 (FT) LOLC Finance (LOFC) Board of Directors in order to optimise its shareholder value while maintaining the company’s financial stability, has resolved to repurchase 3,519,065,138 shares at Rs. 6 each in a deal worth Rs. 21.1 billion. LOFC’s number of shares in issue is 33,079,212,299 and the buy-back shares amount to 10.6% stake. It said the Director of the Dept of Supervision of Non-Bank Financial Institutions, by a letter dated 29 May, informed the company that it may proceed more..

June 12 (ST) A remarkable 97% of candidates—76,350 out of 78,724—filed campaign finance reports to the Election Commission ahead of the deadline at midnight on May 27, marking a significant step toward transparency and accountability. This outcome defied earlier predictions that the majority of candidates would fail to comply with legal obligations. Rohana Hettiarachchi, executive director of PAFFREL, more..

June 12 (Island) There had been several books on Aragalaya that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to give up the presidency in July 2022. Prolific writer Sena Thoradeniya (Galle Face Protest: Systems Change or Anarchy?) and National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa dealt with Aragalaya (Nine: The Hidden Story) in April and October 2023. The writers alleged an external hand in the high profile protest campaign with the focus on the US covert intervention. more..

June 12 (Island) State Poson Festival 2025 was held at Mihintale on Tuesday (10) with the participation of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the chief guest. Nayake Thera of the Mihintale Raja Maha Vihara, Ven. Walavahengunawewe Dhammarathana Thera, did not mince his words when he censured the leaders of the previous govt for having denied due recognition to the Poson festival at Mihintale for two years. His consternation is understandable; the SLPP-UNP administration, blinded by more..

June 12 (TM) This month (June) marks Men’s Health and Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to reflect on a critical yet often overlooked public health issue. Around the world and here in Sri Lanka, men are severely affected by mental health struggles, with suicide rates among men consistently higher than those among women. According to the World Health Organisation, the suicidal rate in Sri Lanka in 2022 was 27 per 100,000 and five per 100,000 in males and females, respectively. more..

June 12 (CT) In a nation where trust in public institutions has been eroded to the bone, the frankness of Ranga Dissanayake, Chairman of the CIABOC, is a rare beacon of hope. With a 20-year track record of fearless rulings as a judge, Dissanayake’s integrity and determination to hold power accountable have resonated with a public long weary of empty rhetoric and selective justice. His recent remarks at a conference laid bare the systemic rot. more..

June 12 (CT) In a significant political gesture, veteran Tamil politician Veerasingham Anandasangaree, leader of the TULF, has expressed his readiness to step down and pass on the leadership of the TULF — a party once led by the iconic S.J.V. Chelvanayakam and G.G. Ponnambalam. Anandasangaree called upon all Tamils — especially those in the N&E to unite under the ideals championed by Chelvanayakam, more..

June 12 (GV) Urban wetlands are the often overlooked ecosystems that sit, quite literally, between land and water on the margins of development and destruction. In 2018, Colombo was named the world’s first Wetland City by the Ramsar Convention, an int'l treaty for the conservation of wetlands. Out of 18 cities that received the accreditation in the first round, Colombo was the only capital. While this recognition was a milestone, it also underscored the urgency of protecting more..

June 12 (CT) Power lends control and control begets false superiority. That is why those who seek power always tend to pursue it to the exclusion of everything else. Sometimes, in fact, more often than not, utterly incapable men are found to be in seats of absolute power; they show ease and comfort in adjusting to the new circumstances surrounding the lofty perches which, if abused or even misused willy nilly, one day would make the holder of those high pedestals regret so much, even driving them more..

June 12 (TM) The Gratiaen has understandably dominated literary conversations this week, with Savin Edirisinghe announced as the winner at an event held on 31 May. Edirisinghe won for his book Kata Katha: Gossip, Rumours, and Idle Talk, a book that readers can expect to see on the shelves next week. It will be published by Sarasavi. Edirisinghe’s Gratiaen win is memorable for many reasons. At 25, he is one of the more..

June 12 (DM) In an era when global rhetoric around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has hardened into polarising debate, there is a certain intellectual liberation in attempting to localise the concept within a country like SL. Removed from the culture wars of American universities or the performative backlash of corporate boardrooms, SL presents a more elemental case study. Here, DEI is not a Western import to be reflexively mimicked or rejected but a framework that might be retrofitted more..

June 12 (DM) While the incumbent govt took exemplary initiatives to declare three distinct forest complexes as forest reserves apart from conserving the home range of the unique and rare Bandula Barb in Galapitamada, another pristine landscape is currently under threat despite various interventions. Mannar Island, home to millions of migratory birds was recently saved from the throes of a disaster. But the struggle doesn’t seem to have ended as yet as ongoing protests by villagers against more..

June 11 (DM) ITAK has taken control of the Batticaloa Municipal Council, with Sivam Pakkiyanathan elected as Mayor today in a vote backed by SJB councillors. Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam confirmed the result via a post on ‘X’, noting that Pakkiyanathan’s victory was made possible through the SJB’s support. Meanwhile, MP Rasamanickam also claimed that the NPP govt had resorted to unconventional moves in a bid to secure the council, more..

June 11 (DM) NPP member Sagaradheera Vishva Vikrama was elected as the Mayor of the Bandarawela Municipal Council today securing eight votes in the council election. Vishva Vikrama claimed the mayoral post with a majority of four votes, receiving six from fellow NPP members, two from Independent Group 02, and one from Independent Group 01. For the position of Deputy Mayor, the NPP nominated Srikanth Nanda from Independent Group 1, who was also elected with 8 votes, more..